Spartan Inheritance
by pjmb13
Summary: It's been 18 years since the Battle of the Hellmouth. A new family has moved into Sunnydale, the parents are no strangers to the place and its "unique" environment. Their oldest daughter Adriana Lehane is starting high school and seems like your normal teenager, but she has her own secrets and special abilities. She will need everything she has to face the awaiting challenges.
1. You can never outrun your past…

This is my sixth story. This is a HALO Buffy crossover and is currently the final planned story in this series to my original story "Faithfully Spartan". I want to thank everyone who has taken the time to read all my stories and I appreciate all constructive comments and editorials. I have discovered from writing that to become a decent writer you must have no sense of self-esteem :-)

I just want to say thanks to the creators, writers and designers of both the HALO and Buffy franchises. They have provided me with hours of enjoyment and entertainment. All characters are the intellectual property of their respective creators and publishers; this story may not be sold or distributed on a profit-making basis.

Again thanks to all that read this story...

* * *

Faith Lehane and Michael-113… These two names struck fear into demons and vampires. Faith was a Vampire Slayer and Michael was a Spartan, an enhanced super soldier. These two had blazed a trail of destruction and havoc through the demon world and then they disappeared… Over sixteen years later a new family has moved into the Sunnydale area and are trying to settle into a quiet family life or as quiet as you can get living in Sunnydale.

Adriana Lehane seemed like your typical sixteen year old teenager and on the surface seemed to have it all… beauty, intelligence, two loving parents, a younger brainy sister and headstrong younger brother.

Yes, Adriana seemed to be the typical teenager except for the fact that her mom was a Vampire Slayer and her dad was a Spartan enhanced super soldier from another dimension and that Adriana had been raised in an alternate dimension and had been educated by a 100,000 year old alien AI. Also being a genetically advanced human that made her stronger and smarter than the average human did provide some advantages especially when living in Sunnydale.

She'll need all the advantages she can get as her and her family are moving back to Sunnydale and the challenges and enemies that await them...

* * *

**You can never outrun your past…**

_"…Spartan II Michael-113 was last seen on planet catalog name PX-2235 on November 6, 2552 as a part of an ONI research and recovery mission {refer **Operation "BRIAR PATCH"**} declared MIA {presumed dead}… Michael-113 was later encountered by UNSC forces on Paris IV on April 29, 2556 during combat with Covenant forces… Michael was in the company of a female {see attached report regarding **LEHANE, FAITH** incl. interview transcripts} who was reported to be pregnant with Michael-113's child {refer to medical records in same attached report}. Michael-113 was presumed dead as a result of UNSC nuclear strike on Covenant installation on same date. Faith Lehane was last reported seen in a UNSC Military Hospital in San Diego, Earth on August 23, 2556…" – Excerpt from classified ONI report_

**Office of Naval Intelligence (ONI) Operations Centre – San Diego, Earth – Sol System – June 23, 2572 **

The group of people sitting at the conference table waited for the person speaking to arrive. The people at the table were a mix bag of types… there were the civilian researchers, scientists and doctors and then there were military types. Each group had a mixed ratio of men and women spread amongst them. Even though they were from different backgrounds and professions, they were united in a common cause… the defense of humanity and the continuation of the UNSC… no matter what the cost!

The group sitting at the table chatted and talked with each other as they had all been working together or had worked together over many years and on many different operations and projects. There was much discussion among the group about the purpose of this meeting as it had been called together on very short notice and no details had been provided about what the purpose of the meeting was for. Everyone in the room was familiar with dealing with their fair share of top secret projects and operations, but the security regarding this meeting was air-tight!

The talking quickly died off as the conference room door opened and an UNSC officer strode into the room quickly followed by his aide. The people gathered for this meeting could not help but notice the size of the officer as he was quite huge and that he also radiated strength and purpose that seized and dominated the room as he moved to the speaker's podium at the front of the conference room. The officer's aide took a seat at the side of the room holding on protectively to a briefcase.

The officer looked out at the gathered group and began his presentation, "Good morning ladies and gentleman…" The officer paused for a moment as he got everyone's attention and he then continued, "I am glad that you could all attend this meeting on such short notice… I am Colonel Kyle Baker… I am in charge of Section 12 - Special Research Projects Team…"

This started a murmur among the people gathered at the conference table. Section 12 was one of ONI's closely guarded secrets… They worked strictly in Black-Ops and their work (or so the rumors went) stretched from research labs to field operations and they had been given carte blanche in obtaining results. The rumors (the few that were talked about openly) were that Section 12 operated by stealing equipment and technology from the Covenant and even from the UNSC's own Sangheili allies. Section 12 was also rumored to be involved with recovering Forerunner tech from the far reaches of the galaxy. One of the other few rumors was that Section 12 was headed up by a Spartan IV, upon seeing how big and powerful Colonel Baker was seemed to confirm the accuracy of that particular rumor among the gathered group.

Colonel Baker gave the crowd a moment and then he continued once more, "What I am going to tell you today is considered Ultra-Top Secret and will only be discussed in areas with a Class-5 security rating… Please hold all your questions to the end of this briefing."

This pronouncement raised eyebrows among everyone gathered as that was the highest security rating and there were only a few areas that had this rating including the conference room that everyone was currently gathered in. Colonel Baker nodded at his aide and the junior officer opened the briefcase he was carrying and pulled out a pile of papers. This raised the eyebrows of the gathered group as paper wasn't used for briefings anymore. The Colonel saw the looks from the gathered group and he raised an eyebrow in a slightly amused look.

"Due to the sensitive nature of this project, electronic records will be kept on a limited access basis… You will each get a numbered paper copy for you to use for the duration of this briefing… All copies will be returned at the end of this meeting… There will be no exceptions." Colonel Baker explained to the assembled group and emphasizing the last part of his statement.

As the briefing papers were handed out by the Colonel's aide, Colonel Baker continued speaking, "All of you are familiar with the SPARTAN program… When Dr. Catherine Halsey started the SPARTAN-II project, there initially were high hopes for how far the program would go. Unfortunately due to the "controversial" aspects of the candidate recruiting, the high mortality rate among the candidates and the extreme cost of each SPARTAN-II the program was not developed further. Even with the development of the SPARTAN-III and SPARTAN-IV programs and the successes they generated, the SPARTAN-II is still considered the ultimate achievement of creating an augmented and enhanced soldier as we are all aware due to their performance in the Human-Covenant War."

Colonel Baker paused for a moment to study the crowd and could see the assembled people nod in agreement as his words sunk in. The SPARTAN-III's had been created as cheap throwaway soldiers as they were deployed in large groups and sent on what were basically suicide missions against the Covenant. The SPARTAN-IV's were slightly more enhanced, but again they were pale imitations of the SPARTAN-II's. No… the best soldiers ever created were the SPARTAN-II's.

Colonel Baker noted that his aide had finished handing out the briefing papers and he then continued, "If you refer to Section I of the briefing paper… In 2552 a SPARTAN-II designation Michael-113 was on a mission to planet PX-2235 which was reported to contain Forerunner tech…"

Colonel Baker nodded to his aide and the aide punched some commands into his tablet and a holographic projection of the Milky Way galaxy appeared over the middle of the conference table. A flashing indicator showed the planet location that Colonel Baker was talking about.

The Colonel continued, "The operation encountered a large Covenant force… Michael-113 stayed behind to cover the withdrawal of UNSC forces… A pickup recovery was attempted several weeks later… Unfortunately the planet had been destroyed by some extreme force of indeterminate nature. Michael-113 was declared MIA as was the standard protocol, but he was presumed dead."

"On the surface that would appear to have been the end of it, but then in 2556 Michael-113 is reported to be on Paris IV…" Another indicator flashed on the holographic display to show Paris IV's position relative to PX-2235 as the Colonel continued, "He helped to support UNSC forces to evacuate from the planet when under attack by Covenant renegade forces… The report states that Michael-113 died from a SHIVA missile strike after taking down the shield of the Covenant command installation…"

Baker paused as he saw the puzzled and questioning looks on the crowd's faces, "_Good I have their attention now…_" Baker thought with an inner smile and then he continued.

"If that was all there was we would have been left with a mystery… But Michael-113's AI UNSC-Adriana did a data dump before the end and the info the AI provided was very… let's say… enlightening."

"From the data it appears that PX-2235 was a Forerunner research facility… We have confirmed this from doing a data comparison from information regarding Forerunner tech cache locations we gained from the Janus Key that was recovered from Requiem… It appears that this research installation was used by the Forerunners to study and understand Slipspace."

Colonel Baker paused. He now knew that he had his audience's full attention, "The Forerunners had such a vast and detailed knowledge of Slipspace… To put it basically they drove luxury sport cars and we are still moving around in kid's wagons. The Forerunners had discovered alternate dimensions and realities that could be accessed via Slipspace… The research facility on PX-2235 was the main facility that the Forerunners used to travel between dimensions…"

Colonel Baker paused as he let that information sink into his audience and could see the looks of disbelief. One of the scientists spoke up, which slightly irritated the Colonel, "Sir… You're saying that the Forerunners travelled between alternate dimensions… That's just so… so fantastic to believe!"

"Yes… you can believe it… Estimates are that the Forerunners explored and cataloged over two million alternate dimensions…" This brought another murmur from the audience and Baker continued with barely a pause, "Michael-113 and his AI Adriana managed to access the equipment, transport off PX-2235 and overloaded the power systems causing the explosion that destroyed the planet denying the tech to the Covenant."

Again Colonel Baker paused as he let what he said sink in as he knew what he was going to say next was going to strain the credibility he had with the group. "The dimension that Michael-113 transported to was one that was very…ummm… unique. He landed on a planet that was very similar to our Earth… Adriana rated their technology level equivalent to our late 20th – early 21st century… During that time Michael-113 made contact with the local inhabitants of that dimension and defended them against threats…"

One of the military officers spoke up, "What kind of threats? Did he encounter an enemy similar to the Covenant or Prometheans?"

Colonel Baker looked directly at the officer and spoke, "No… The threat was from vampires and demons…"

It took a moment for what Colonel Baker had said to sink in to the audience and then the murmuring started with utter looks of disbelief. One of the scientists spoke up, "You got to be joking? You want us to believe that vampires and demons exist?" voicing what the audience was thinking.

"This is no joke…" Colonel Baker said in a tone that showed he was very serious. Baker nodded to his aide and the holographic projection of the galaxy was replaced by a snarling face from a first person point of view… The face looked humanoid, but the face was distorted and the teeth were more pronounced. The image caused the audience to recoil at first and then everyone looked closer to study a creature that had only been associated to horror stories and movies.

"It appears that dimension worked on some slightly different principles… the locals actually believed in magic…" Baker said bringing smiles and some chuckles from the audience.

"Regardless of what the local inhabitants believed… The vampires and demons existed and threatened the human population. During this time Michael-113 was able to access other dimensions… Don't ask me how as we are still trying to figure that out, but during that period he literally stumbled upon a Forerunner research outpost that had been established to help study other dimensions… Michael-113 was able to establish contact with the Forerunner AI construct and reactivate the installation…"

This brought more murmurs from the audience. "If the Spartan was able to locate a Forerunner installation, why did he not return home?" asked one of the military officers.

Baker looked a little uncomfortable at the question, "Ahhh yes… Michael-113 could have returned home, but by this time it appears from our information that Michael-113 had developed a relationship with a female from the "vampire" dimension…"

The audience sat in stunned silence as SPARTAN-II's were known to have avoided any type of human interaction or relationships beyond their group. "What kind of relationship?" asked one of the scientists curiously.

"It was a romantic relationship…" stated Colonel Baker as he paused for his words to sink in once again and saw the looks on their faces. "Yes… Michael-113 had a chance to return to our dimension and turned his back on his duty… for love… for lack of a better explanation."

Colonel Baker saw confused looks on his audience's faces and quickly continued, "Yes I know what you are thinking… If Michael-113 was in a relationship why did he end up on Paris IV and die taking out a Covenant installation…"

Baker paused for another moment inadvertently building up a dramatic moment before he spoke again. "We don't believe that Michael-113 died on Paris IV…" Colonel Baker let the words sink in and then he continued, "What is only known in a very small circle is that Michael-113 appeared on Paris IV accompanied by the female he was involved with…"

Baker nodded to his aide and the image of the vampire on the holographic display changed to that of a human female. The Colonel had seen this image many times before, but he couldn't help but always be drawn to the female's face. The female appeared to be in her early to mid-twenties, she had striking beautiful looks and long brunette hair. What always struck Baker were the female's eyes… There was sadness there, but there was also strength, power and love in there.

Colonel Baker gave his mind a quick shake to regain his focus. "The female in question is named Faith Lehane… She is not what we would call a normal human being… In her dimension she is referred to as a "Vampire Slayer", From what we could determine from medical tests we were able to perform is that she is stronger, has faster reflexes and complexingly fast recuperative abilities… more than an unaugmented human… To put it bluntly we could fit her in SPARTAN-IV MJOLNIR powered armor with minor modifications and she could operate at almost SPARTAN-III/IV ability levels… without any augmentation whatsoever."

As Colonel Baker let that news sink in, one of the military officers spoke up with unconcealed excitement in his voice, "So where is this female and why do you believe that Michael-113 is still alive…"

Baker looked a little irritated at the interruption, but he continued as he knew that his briefing material was what could be considered "somewhat crazy". "After the destruction of the Covenant installation on Paris IV and the "apparent" death of Michael-113, Miss Lehane was retrieved by UNSC forces and brought back to Earth and was being kept at a military hospital to undergo tests and monitor her medical condition..."

"What medical condition?" blurted out one of the scientists showing his intent curiosity with what was being presented.

"She was pregnant with Michael-113's child…" replied Baker in a matter of fact tone.

Silence engulfed the conference room for what seemed like an eternity and you could hear the proverbial pin drop.

Colonel Baker continued speaking to the stunned audience. "We had Miss Lehane in ONI protective custody to monitor her medical condition and interview her. From the information provided by AI Adriana and Miss Lehane we were able to reconstruct the chain of circumstances and events…"

"What sex was the fetus? Where are mother and child?" another scientist blurted out forgetting where they were and the group they were with.

"The sex of the fetus was female…" Baker replied.

The scientists in the audience started talking amongst themselves immediately discussing the information they were told. Colonel Baker knew what they were discussing as he'd had time to learn and understand the ramifications of this news. Baker could see the puzzled looks on the military officers as the scientists continued talking amongst themselves. Finally one of the military officers spoke up in frustration from not knowing what was happening. "So one of our Spartan's knocked up a woman and was going to have a girl… What does that mean and why all the security?"

Before Baker could answer the officer's question, one of the scientists spoke up to answer. "Sir… You just had a SPARTAN-II successfully mate with a human that is from what the Colonel has told us is genetically enhanced… The implications are… staggering to say the least."

Colonel Baker couldn't help but smirk at the scientist's words as the military officers gathered started to realize the implications… the military implications. The military officers started talking amongst themselves about the military possibilities. Baker knew what they were thinking as his group had already looked at all the potential possibilities. The potential of breeding or even cloning Spartans rather than performing the complicated, risky and costly augmentation process was a dream too good to be true and one that they could not afford to take advantage of…

"It gets better…" Baker said with a slight smirk. "From the information that we obtained, it appears that when the child was first conceived there were medical complications… The Forerunner AI intervened and performed a medical procedure to save the child's life… From the genetic testing we were able to perform… the child would inherit her mother's abilities and could even be stronger than her mother…"

One of the military officers spoke up, "So where is this woman and child and why haven't we heard anything about this until now… It's been sixteen years since these events you are talking about happened?"

The audience continued talking amongst themselves discussing the information that had presented and Colonel Baker could see that he was going to lose control of this briefing and he moved swiftly to regain control. "If you will all be patient… I will continue and explain all events and circumstances…"

As the audience settled down, Colonel Baker started speaking again, "Several months after Faith Lehane was put into protective custody… she disappeared…"

The audience started talking again. Colonel Baker ignored them and continued speaking, "From the information we obtained from the AI Adriana and using hospital security footage we identified two females that had come from Miss Lehane's dimension… these were friends of her..."

The audience started to settle down once again. A military officer spoke, "So what you're saying is that Michael-113 survived Paris IV and sent some accomplices to bust his pregnant girlfriend out?"

Colonel Baker nodded acknowledging the officer's quick and accurate grasp of the situation, "Yes… That is the theory we are working from…"

"So how does this help us and what does this do for us if the woman and her child are both in another so-called dimension?" the officer that spoke up responded back.

Baker got a small smile on his otherwise stern face, "Twenty-two months ago using information recovered from the Janus Key, we located a Forerunner tech cache… In that cache we discovered equipment to open up Slipspace dimensional portals…"

Colonel Baker paused as what he said sank in to his audience and he could see the cloud of gloom that had settled on the audience begin to lift. "If you turn to page ten of your briefing paper… The name of this program is referred to as "PROJECT SLAYER"…" Baker let a slight smirk escape at the irony of the project name, "…Three months ago we finally figured out how to power up and use the Forerunner equipment… For the last three weeks we have had an undercover recon team established in Miss Lehane's dimension… Geographical location is Sunnydale California USA…"

"So what's the plan here?" asked another military officer.

Colonel Baker continued, "PROJECT SLAYER's mission objectives are to observe and locate Faith Lehane and her child. From information we have gathered so far we are estimating that the child's age would now be 15 to 16 years old. The recon team will determine if the child has indeed inherited her parent's genetic advantages. If we confirm what we think this child has been "gifted" with. We will take both mother and child into "custody" and return them to our dimension for further study for scientific and military applications…"

This brought some murmuring again from the audience and nodding especially among the military officers gathered. One of the scientists spoke up somewhat reluctantly as if they were almost troubled by the moral implications that this project involved. "Colonel… Won't Spartan Michael-113 be "upset" and resist if we try to take his woman and child?"

Colonel Baker gave the scientist a hard stare which chilled the room. "We have taken that into account and we will give Michael-113 the opportunity to do his duty and contribute to the best interests of the UNSC, but this Spartan "chose" to remain in that other dimension and not return to do his duty… If he resists… he will be dealt with accordingly…"


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

_**Sunnydale, California – August 4, 2021 – 1022 PST (Local Dimension Time)**_

Xander Harris was working in his office located at the back of his very spacious and elegant home. Xander ran a very successful local construction company that he had built up over the years. He was the true success story of a local boy that built his business from the ground up to become highly successful and a leader of the community or that was story that Xander only made sure was available for public consumption. Xander was not one to advertise that the seed money that helped startup his business was provided by a highly advanced AI construct that had come from an alternate dimension… That AI named Adriana had hacked the world's financial computer networks and had made sure that Xander and others had been taken care of financially years ago and Xander made sure that he had not squandered the opportunity he had been given.

Even though Xander had a successful business and his company had offices located in the business district of Sunnydale, he preferred to spend a couple of days a week working out of his home. This gave him more time to spend with Anya and their twins, Jesse and Tara. The kids were growing up so fast and he knew that in a few years' time that they would be heading off to college. Xander would smirk at the thought as he was the one pushing the kids to go to college… the "self-made" man who used to laugh at the thought of going to college… Sometimes he worried about what would happen when the twins left home… it would just be Anya and him… alone. How would they adjust and live without the kids around to provide an anchor for their lives.

The other reason that Xander would work out of his home was that it also allowed him to conduct other side business which the people at his work wouldn't understand even if it was important and it involved working to keep Sunnydale safe and people alive. Even after all these years, Sunnydale could still be a dangerous place to live. Even though the Hellmouth had been sealed eighteen years ago by the Spartan Michael-113 using a nuclear weapon (Xander would still shake his head at that thought that he had survived a nuclear weapon going off) and then Michael had killed The First Evil, Sunnydale still seemed to draw its more than fair share of demons and vampires. Though it wasn't as bad as when Xander was a teenager there were still scary things out there that went bump in the night. Buffy was still living in Sunnydale and as always she dealt with whatever evil threatened. Xander, Buffy and Giles surmised the reason that the demon and vampire threat was not as bad had to do as result of the lingering stories (that were becoming more like legends as the years passed) of the Spartan and what he had done at the Battle of the Hellmouth. Xander, Buffy and Giles didn't do anything to dispel those stories as they did make most demons and vampires think twice about causing problems in Sunnydale. Those demons and vampires that weren't scared off by the stories or were ignorant (or too stupid) were still being dealt with by Buffy with Giles and Xander providing backup support.

Things had changed over the years and so had the dynamics of the "Scooby gang". Buffy's sister Dawn was currently travelling the world trying to "find herself" as she put it. Xander and the others knew that Dawn was just drifting as she had been one of those that had benefited from the AI Adriana's financial "generosity" and she was spending her windfall. Xander was surprised that Dawn still had any money left, but he suspected that Buffy was subsidizing her. Willow and Kennedy had left Sunnydale and had spent a few years travelling the world together. The couple had finally settled down in a small town in Northern California. Everyone kept in touch, but it was different from when they were younger and were constantly hanging together. Buffy and Giles still were in Sunnydale. Giles was getting up in years and he always talked about going back to England, but Xander knew that Giles would never leave as long as Buffy needed him. Buffy was… well… she was Buffy and even over the years and everything that she had gone through she was still the same… somewhat older and maybe wiser but still the same. Sometimes Xander would question the "wiser" part mainly due to Buffy having an on and off again relationship with Spike over the years.

Spike… even after all the years and everything they had gone through, Xander still got a bad taste in his mouth about Spike. Maybe it was because even after all the years that had gone by Spike was still exactly the same person even with a soul. It would seem that Spike would roll into Sunnydale every couple of years and Buffy and Spike would hook up and get hot and heavy for several months and then they would end up pressing each other's buttons and get on each other's nerves and start arguing. Spike would eventually say that he had enough of dealing with the "Bloody Slayer" and head out of town and then roam the world and then come back several years later and they would start all over again. Whenever Spike and Buffy broke up, Buffy would always end up at Xander and Anya's house to commiserate and looking for some support. Buffy would always end up spending time with the twins and both Anya and Xander could see that Buffy was still looking for that stable relationship and to settle down.

As Xander worked on his computer to finish off the work that he needed to get finished today, he heard the doorbell ring. Xander didn't get up to answer as he knew that either Anya or one of the twins would answer the door. Xander could overhear excited muffled voices coming from the front of the house and he then heard a knock on his office door. He didn't need to be a mind reader to know who was there as he had already been expecting this person.

"Come on in Buffy…" Xander said as he looked up from his computer and his office door opened and Buffy walked in.

"Hey Xander… How did you know it was me? You getting psychic in your old age?" Buffy said with a playful smile on her face.

"I wish… Then I could make a killing in the market…But it's always how the twins respond to when you come over… it has its own distinctive…um… sound." Xander said responding with his own smile.

"Busy working today?" asked Buffy.

"That's the great thing about being the boss… I can delegate the work to my subordinates, but yea I'm busy, but this is not work related…" Xander replied.

Buffy took a moment and studied Xander and thought how much he had changed over the years. He still looked in pretty good shape as he still did some work on his construction sites and also worked out to keep in shape. His hair was just starting to get a slight streak of grey. Xander said it was the twin's fault that he was going grey.

"Oh… This about Faith and Michael?" Buffy said quickly picking up on what Xander was working on.

"Yea… I'm just finalizing the papers on the house for them… Once that is done… I'm just going to take a quick trip to go see them and make the final arrangements and they should be already to move here by the end of the week…" Xander replied.

"_Quick trip… I'm travelling to another dimension not going to LA or San Francisco…_" Xander thought as he realized how normal he made it seem that he was going to be travelling between dimensions.

"You've been making quite a few trips the last couple of months to see Faith and Michael haven't you?" Buffy said.

"Yea… Ever since Faith and Michael decided that they wanted to come back and have Adriana go to school here, I've been busy making all the arrangements." Xander replied.

"How are they doing?" Buffy asked.

"Well whenever I think I have problems with the twins I just think of Faith and Michael and their trio of kids and I say… Thank god not me!" replied Xander with a laughing smile.

"Quite the handful they've become… haven't they?" replied Buffy with her own smile.

"Well thankfully their parents are a Slayer and a Spartan… I don't how they do it some days." Xander said bringing another smile to Buffy's face.

"When was the last time you went for a visit and saw the kids?" Xander asked.

"I saw them about a year and a half ago… I feel bad that I haven't visited more often. How are they are doing?" replied Buffy.

"They're all doing well. Not to offend you or Anya, but for having three kids Faith looks good… the kids are good… I don't know if it is a good thing or bad thing, but Adriana is looking more like Faith every day…" Xander said.

This brought another smile to Buffy's face. "How's Michael dealing with it all?" she asked.

Xander smiled and shook his head. "He's stoic as always… at least when I'm there. Though I do think he is starting to loosen up in his old age as he actually laughed at a few of my jokes and smiled… I don't envy the boys around Sunnydale when they get a look at Adriana and have to go through Michael…" Xander responded.

Buffy laughed out loud at the visual image of the Spartan greeting Adriana's dates at the door. Even without his battle armor, Michael projected a very intimidating presence as he was nearly seven feet tall and solidly built.

As Buffy and Xander continued to chat, Xander's mind began to wander. Buffy was now the longest living Slayer in history and she was living a comfortable and relatively quiet life except for the occasional demon or vampire threat, but there hadn't been any "apocalypse type" events in Sunnydale in over ten years. Thinking about the longest living Slayer had Xander's mind wander to the next longest living Slayer… Faith. Whenever Xander thought of Faith, he couldn't help but get a little smile and remember that she was the first woman that he had ever had sex with. Not that he would ever brag or publicize their encounter due to Faith being married to Michael and having three children of their own together. Xander was not one to cause any problems or interfere in anyone's relationships (except maybe when it was Spike and Buffy) and he didn't need to get on Michael's bad side.

Michael (or Michael-113 as he was formerly known as) was a Spartan which was a genetically enhanced and augmented super soldier from an alternate dimension. Michael had been fighting aliens in his dimension and had accidently been transported to this dimension via an alien dimensional transport device. Michael hadn't been able to return back to his home dimension at the time. Michael along with his AI Adriana had established themselves in Sunnydale and built up resources and a base of operations over several years. Michael had finally revealed himself when Buffy and the others were facing off against their most dangerous foe. Michael had trained organized and armed Buffy, the Scoobies and the other potential Slayers to fight the Turok-Han vampires.

It was during this period that Faith and Michael had met. From what Xander had been able to piece together it was like Faith and Michael had been meant to meet. Needless to say Faith and Michael began an intense love affair at the same time having to overcome all the obstacles and enemies that were thrown in their way. When Michael finally had a chance to return to his home, he made his choice to stay with Faith and settle down. Faith and Michael had "retired" for over the last sixteen years to an alternate dimension living in an alien research station and were raising their family out of harm's way. Even though Xander had lived through and experienced all these events, he still found it hard to believe that there were super soldiers, aliens and alternate dimensions that existed.

Thinking about Faith and Michael brought Xander back to the reason he was working from home today. Xander was finishing up the paperwork on the purchase of a house in the Sunnydale area. The task had fallen to him as the couple he was buying it for didn't want to attract any attention and they relied upon Xander's business experience and knowledge to help them get settled back into Sunnydale. Adriana which was Faith and Michael's oldest child had just turned sixteen and they had decided that she needed a more "normal" upbringing from being raised in an alien base in an alternate dimension.

Xander had been making trips back and forth between his and their dimensions for the last few months. He was not only getting the housing situation settled, but taking a lot of information regarding the latest on local politics, entertainment, culture and fashion. Michael had asked for the information as he wanted the family to at least be aware of what they would be coming to as they would be getting a bad case of culture shock when they moved to Sunnydale. Faith had been born and had lived in this dimension for the first part of her life, but for the last sixteen years had lived in an alternate dimension in an alien installation and so much had changed and Faith had always lived on the fringes and been somewhat a loner and outcast. Xander also knew that Faith had changed considerably (for the better) over the years due to being married and having kids. Xander figured that Michael would have the least amount of trouble adapting as it seemed to be the Spartan's creed to "adapt and overcome".

"_If things don't work out he could always blow Sunnydale up again…_" Xander thought smirking at how the Spartan tended to resort to using loud and explosive solutions to problems.

Xander was more worried about the kids, especially Adriana as she would be starting high school in September as a freshman. Xander could still recall how unforgiving and cruel high school could be and he hoped that she would be able to survive that environment.

Xander and Buffy finished visiting with each other. After Buffy left, Xander hurriedly worked on finishing the house purchase information. Once finished, he then forwarded it on via email to the real estate agent to close the sale. Xander checked off the task done on his mental checklist and left to put together everything he needed to take with him when he went to "go visit" Faith and Michael. Xander hoped he hadn't forgotten anything.

* * *

_**Fort Meade, Maryland – August 4, 2021 – 1655 EST**_

Director Riley Finn was at his desk just wrapping up his work for another day. He wanted to head off to get home as he had promised the family that he would barbecue for dinner tonight and he was clearing off some of the more important work and noting what he had to follow up on tomorrow.

Riley sighed as he looked at his pile of work on his desk. Some days he regretted moving up into the higher echelons of the Defense Intelligence Agency as he missed the field work, but he had to admit that being able to go home at somewhat regular hours to spend time with his wife and kids was the biggest benefit.

Riley was just finishing up his work and was just starting to lock up his files and shutdown his computer, when his phone rang. For a moment Riley considered letting it going to voice mail and dealing with it tomorrow, but it was only a passing thought as he was a senior director for his section and he had major responsibilities to take care of.

Riley picked up the phone and answered, "Finn here…"

The voice on the other end of the line spoke, "Director Finn… This is Agent Hardie from the LA office…"

Riley did a quick calculation of the time zones to know what time it was on the West coast. "Hardie… What can I do for you?" Riley replied looking at the clock in his office and hoping that this wasn't going to take too long.

Hardie replied, "Sir… I'm working out of the LA office, but my current assignment is also monitoring Sunnydale for any… um… situations."

At the mention of Sunnydale, Riley's back tightened and he felt a cold chill run through his body. "_God not Sunnydale… It's been mostly quiet there for years…_" Riley thought. Also at the mention of Sunnydale the image of Buffy flashed through Riley's mind and the years seemed to melt away.

Riley gave his mind a shake to clear the memories and refocus on the present. "What's happening in Sunnydale?" Riley asked with obvious concern in his voice and trying not to think of the worst case scenario that could be occurring in Sunnydale.

"Sir… Bonnie and Clyde are returning…" Hardie said.

Riley's eyes widened at the use of the code phrase. The pre-established phrase had been established years ago to identify two particular individuals who were of extreme importance for the United States to monitor and track as they could represent a clear and present danger to the country.

"_Faith and Michael are coming back to Sunnydale…_" thought Riley as he absorbed the news and all the implications that their return could result in.

"What news do you have on the couple?" Riley asked with some hesitation in his voice. Riley knew that the Spartan was considered one of the most dangerous people on the planet. Having an enhanced super soldier from an alternate future exist seemed hard to believe, but Riley had been one of the few people to have seen the Spartan in actual combat. It had been Riley's own report, at the time, recommending that the government take a low key approach and just maintain surveillance on Michael and Faith. When Michael and Faith had apparently "disappeared" years ago a lot of people had breathed a huge sigh of relief at the problem going away on its own. There had been scattered reports over the years of Faith and Michael sightings, but nothing concrete until now.

"Surveillance using the PRISM IV program has intercepted computer communications from one Alexander Harris who has been identified under the "Bonnie and Clyde" watch list. It appears that Mr. Harris has purchased a house in the Sunnydale area…" reported Agent Hardie.

"So what makes this a "Bonnie and Clyde" sighting report?" asked Riley trying to still sort out what was happening and get a hold of the situation.

"On further investigation the deed of the house has been registered in the names of a Faith and Michael Lehane…" responded Hardie.

Riley took a moment to gather his thoughts before he responded. It was quite a long moment of silence on the phone line.

"Sir? Are you still there?" Hardie asked as he couldn't tell if the Director was still on the phone or not.

This shook Riley into action, "Yes… I'm still here… Here are your orders… You will get a surveillance team into Sunnydale ASAP… They are to setup for only passive monitoring for now… You have priority on any resources you need to get this done…" Riley said using his commanding Director's tone now.

"Yes sir… Understood… Any other orders?" asked Hardie.

"No… I will be on a flight to your location within the hour… Keep me informed of any changes and I mean anything happens I should be immediately informed… Understood?" Riley said.

Riley just barely got Hardie's acknowledgement as he cut the line and proceeded to call his home. Riley could already anticipate the disappointment in his wife's voice as he was going to not only inform her that he wasn't going to make it home for dinner, but was also heading out of town for god knows how long.

"_I guess Sunnydale couldn't stay quiet forever…_" Riley thought with a sigh and hoping that the situation wouldn't get out of control.

* * *

_**Sunnydale, California – August 4, 2021 – 1417 PST**_

In a small unremarkable two story building in the industrial section of Sunnydale a small group of people were looking at and working with equipment and computer consoles that were completely out of place for the place and time they were in at this moment.

The group was either monitoring consoles, cleaning weapons, grabbing a bite to eat or some shut eye. The largest office in the building had been used by the former occupants as a conference room… these latest occupants had turned the former conference room into their command center which was piled with the necessary equipment they needed to perform their assigned mission.

In the center of the improvised command center was a small pedestal with a glowing platform. For the last several weeks the pedestal had been quiet except for several occasions to provide brief mission status updates. Suddenly a bright ball a light appeared hovering over the pedestal and this caught the immediate attention of the personnel in the room. They watched as the bright ball of light shifted and began to take form. The form became recognizable as a human male shape. The shape gave off a deep dark green glow and was wearing what looked like a UNSC Navy uniform. The eyes appeared bright with intelligence and rightly so as this was the most advanced piece of technology on this planet.

The AI spoke to the group in the improvised command center, "UNSC AI Hunter reporting… I have received information regarding our targets…"


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

_"__Children's minds are more easily accepting of indoctrination… Their bodies more adaptable to augmentation… The result... Was the ultimate soldier..." – Catherine Halsey during interrogation – September 2553_

_**5414 Erde-Tyrene Research Installation – Sol System (Forerunner Dimension Catalog #5414)**_

_The sky was dark from the smoke and fires of the city burning around him. He moved his way quietly through the burned out buildings avoiding the Covenant patrols. Everywhere he looked there was devastation and death as bodies in various conditions littered the ground… How many cities and towns had he seen in this condition? After a while they all started looking the same and you stopped noticing it… at least that was what you told yourself. Now he was walking through a forest and bodies of people hung from the branches… Michael could recognize all the faces… they belonged to every Innie he had killed in his missions for ONI… Michael came to a small clearing with a huge tree in the middle of it and only one body hung from it… It was the first person he had ever killed on his first mission… The body swung gently in the breeze. Michael would have kept moving, but the face kept looking at him and then it smiled at him… a deathly smile…_

Michael woke up with a start and was covered in sweat. It took him a moment to realize where he was and that it had all been a dream. Michael ran his hand over his face as he sat up in bed and took some relaxing breaths to calm his racing heart. Michael looked over at the form of the person in bed with him and could hear their soft breathing patterns indicating that they were still asleep and that his nightmares hadn't disturbed them. Michael looked towards the balcony door and could see that it was still dark outside.

"_Forget about going back to sleep…_" Michael thought as he quietly got out of bed to not disturb the sleeping person and he made his way to the balcony door and went outside on to the balcony.

* * *

After he had woken up from his nightmares, Michael had sat on the balcony looking out at the darkness waiting for the sun rise… Michael hadn't gone into the rest of the installation as he knew that Virgil would almost immediately be upon him to see if anything was wrong and if Michael needed anything. Michael knew that Virgil would only be fulfilling his programming and showing his concern for Michael, but Michael just needed to be alone and to have the peace and quiet to let the dreams and ghosts fade away… for at least a little while.

Michael had started getting the dreams… nightmares nearly three weeks ago. They were dreams from the war against the Separatists and the Covenant. He hadn't had dreams this bad or intense in years. Michael now stood leaning against the balcony railing and watched the sun rise over the mountains and saw the first rays of sunlight hit the lake that the Forerunner installation sat next to.

Michael's dreams had just started up just after he and Faith had decided to leave their home of many years and return to Sunnydale. Tonight's nightmare had been the most intense one he'd had as this was probably due to Xander coming to the installation with the final details of the house purchase and to discuss the final arrangements for the family's move to Sunnydale. Michael was hoping that the dreams were just nerves and not some omen of things to come.

Michael stood watching the sun rise and the beauty of it always struck him. He could feel how peaceful everything seemed to be and he could feel the weight of everything he had done over the years start to lift… at least for the moment. Michael was caught up in the moment and lost in his thoughts that he was slightly startled by a female voice.

"You okay?" came the concerned loving tone of the woman who he had been with for many years and loved with a passion that had not diminished over the years they had been together.

Michael sighed as he hadn't heard Faith approach from behind, "_I must be getting old… Didn't even hear her…_" Michael thought, but then his mind reminded him that Faith was a Vampire Slayer and was one of the few people that could sneak up on a Spartan if they wanted to.

"Yea… Just couldn't sleep…" Michael said as he kept watching the morning sunrise.

"Bad dreams?" Faith asked with concern.

Michael paused and almost considered lying to Faith, but in all the years that they had been together Michael had never lied to Faith… maybe stretched the truth or omitted facts but never out right lied to her. Michael shook off the thought, "Yea… I didn't want to wake you… Sorry." Michael said as he continued leaning against the balcony railing and looking at the sun rising into the morning sky.

Faith moved up behind Michael and wrapped her arms around him and leaned into him. To the outside observer, Michael and Faith were quite the contrasting opposites. Michael stood nearly seven feet tall and continued to maintain a solid strong build which was a result of his Spartan augmentation. Michael was chronologically sixty-two years old, but he looked more in his late forties. Michael kept his dark brown hair still in its short military style haircut, but there were more streaks of grey in it these days. Michael's face and body carried the faded scars of years of fighting and from his augmentation. One of Michael's most striking features were his eyes… they were a dark brown color, but they were so intense that sometimes they would almost look black. Faith was petite compared to Michael, but looks were deceiving. Faith stood about 5'5" and her hair was long and an auburn color. Faith was thirty-nine years old, but as Michael put it she still looked like she was in her late twenties. Faith's condition could be probably contributed by her being a Vampire Slayer and all the recuperative powers that came with being a Slayer. Faith had her own battle scars, the most prominent one was a stab wound in her side that had actually been given to her by her fellow Slayer Buffy when they had been on opposite sides. Faith also had a couple of tattoos… one was a tribal pattern on her right arm and a small "113" over her heart.

Michael stood up and turned to face Faith without her breaking her hug around him. Michael looked down at Faith. He couldn't believe how young and beautiful she still looked after all the years that they had been together. Faith looked up at Michael and reached up with her right hand and touched his face. She was still concerned and worried as she loved him very much. Some days she found it hard to believe that Michael and her had been together for almost eighteen years and that they'd had three children together. Some days it all seemed surreal to her that she had lived to be almost forty as she had always figured that she would have been dead before she was twenty-five. But here she was living in an alien installation in another dimension raising a family.

"How many nights has it been now?" Faith asked with concern.

"Too many…" Michael replied with a slight smirk.

"It has to do with this move doesn't it?" Faith said more as a statement than a question.

"I don't know… maybe… maybe not… It could just be the years catching up to me…" Michael said with an uncharacteristic uncertainty in his voice.

This caught Faith by surprise as in all the years that she had known Michael he was not the one to voice any uncertainty. "Did you want to talk about the move some more?" she asked.

"No…" Michael said with familiar firmness, he continued, "… We've talked about this and as you pointed out we can't keep Adriana cooped up her anymore. She needs to expand and find opportunities and her way in the universe… whichever one it is. Not that there is anything wrong here, but other than the village and working with Virgil there is no future here for her. Our only other alternative was to send her through by herself and put her up at a private boarding school… There is no way I'm leaving a sixteen year old by herself in another dimension." Michael said now using his worried fatherly tone.

Faith nodded in silent agreement as she could see that Adriana was showing some similar aspects to Faith's behavior at the same age including the famous (or infamous) "Lehane temper" and Faith was worried about Adriana and that maybe going to Sunnydale with more people, opportunities and a structured environment could be a "calming" influence on their daughter. Faith had another reason for encouraging this move, but for a promise she had made years ago she could not tell Michael what it was.

"It's going to be hard leaving here, but we knew eventually that we would have to go back to Sunnydale one day." Michael said to not only reassure Faith, but himself as well.

Faith nodded again in agreement and held herself closer to Michael as they had discussed all the pros and cons for moving back to Sunnydale and the pros had won out. A part of Faith was not completely sold on the idea of inflicting Sunnydale on their children and they had discussed the option of waiting another year or two, but Faith had seen Adriana's behavior, in the last couple of years, especially with one particular boy in the local village and this had convinced Faith that they had to leave for the good of everyone.

"Everything will be fine… Everything is all set... Xander has arranged the house and taken care of all the details for us on his end. We still have access to all the bank accounts that Adriana had setup for us, so no problems or worries about money there." Faith said.

Faith saw Michael's face at the mention of the other Adriana and even after all these years he still got a little sad at the mention of the long gone AI that he had served with and been his friend for years and that had saved his life by sacrificing hers. Faith quickly changed the subject to distract Michael's thoughts, "It will be good to see everyone again and not only see them on the occasional visit… Plus I explained to Adriana about the concept of shopping and how we would have to do some clothes shopping when we got to Sunnydale."

Michael looked at Faith and smiled, "How did she take it?" he asked with honest curiosity.

"She showed some interest in taking part what she called an experiment in "societal-economic interactions", but I could have sworn that her eyes lit up with excitement at the mention of the words "clothes shopping"." Faith said with a chuckle.

Michael had to fight to contain his laughter…

* * *

Adriana Buffy-Anne Willow Tala Lehane was sprawled asleep in her bed when a cheerful voice shook her out of dreams and started to wake her up.

"Adriana… It is time to get up…" spoke the cheerful electronic sounding voice.

The teenager turned over and covered her head with her pillow as she fought to grab just a little more sleep. This became more difficult as the curtain covering her balcony door was pulled open and the morning light started streaming into the room.

Adriana grumbled as her body was starting to wake up, but yet she wanted to just sleep a little longer.

"Virgil… Can I just have a few more minutes?" Adriana mumbled sleepily through the pillow she covered her head with.

"You know I cannot do that… today is an important day and there is much to accomplish before you and your family make your move to Sunnydale…" replied the cheerful electronic voice.

Adriana grumbled as she knew that she was in a losing battle and she finally slowly pulled her head from under her pillow and opened her eyes groggily and had to blink and squint from the bright sunlight streaming into her room. Adriana looked around her room and was greeted with the sight of what could only be described to the uninformed observer as a floating light bulb… 414 Eternal Vigilance was the AI construct that had been left behind by the Forerunners to take care and oversee this installation, but this was no light bulb to Adriana. 414 Eternal Vigilance or "Virgil" as he was called by everyone was Adriana's teacher, mentor, confidant and one of her best friends.

Adriana sat up in her bed and yawned as she stretched and tried to shake off her tiredness. Her reason for being so tired was that she had been up late trying to decide what she was going to take with her on this move and the excitement, nervousness and other thoughts had also conspired to keep her awake until the early hours of the morning.

Adriana got out of bed and moved through the mess of her room. Even though she was going through her stuff and deciding what to pack, the condition of her room actually didn't look much different than what it normally looked like… a disaster area as her mom called it and her dad said that walking into her room was like walking into a minefield, but that a real minefield was safer!

Adriana stumbled still somewhat groggily across her room to get to her clothes closet to grab a change of clothes.

"OW! Damn it!" Adriana exclaimed as she stepped on one of the rocks from her geology collection that had ended up on the floor.

Adriana quickly quieted down to not give her parents the satisfaction of showing them that they were right and she continued on hobbling towards the closet and she looked at her collection of clothes. She sighed as her mom had said that they wouldn't be taking any of the clothes other than what they were wearing and a few items that they would need.

"Everyone else is already awake and they are gathered for breakfast…" Virgil said in his always seemingly cheerful tone.

"Uh… Thanks Virgil… I'll be down in a moment." Adriana said somewhat absently as she stared at her closet as a million other thoughts raced through her mind.

* * *

As Virgil left Adriana's room and made his way down two levels to the area that was being used as the communal family eating area, he let out the electronic equivalent of a sigh. While Virgil accessed the installation's systems to keep a constant check on its status, a part of his processing power reflected over the last sixteen years and everything he had experienced with the current "tenants" of this installation. These humans were so much different from the Forerunners he had been designed by and worked with many millennia ago. With the Forerunners, Virgil or 414 Eternal Vigilance as he had been referred to by the Forerunners, had been designed to assist and work with the researchers of this installation and when they had returned back to the home dimension, he had been left behind to maintain the installation in a caretaker role and he had performed his work at optimum levels having only minimal contact with the local inhabitants of this dimension.

This all changed with the appearance of a "Reclaimer" who was Michael. Michael's arrival changed everything for Virgil. He had provided medical care to the injured Spartan and helped repair his damaged battle armor. Virgil had assisted Michael in finding his way back to the dimension where Faith was located and for a while the couple would transit between the two dimensions with short stays at the installation.

Everything changed again with the birth of Adriana. After their daughter's birth, Faith and Michael made the decision to make this installation their permanent home, only making the occasional visits back to Sunnydale or other dimensions that had been cataloged by the Forerunners. Virgil had taken up the role of not only overseeing the installation but overseeing and taking care of its residents… no… that wasn't correct… he was taking care of his family. Virgil was considered a trusted member of this family and he took that role seriously making sure that everyone was taken care of and that the children were provided for and their education properly overseen. Virgil had developed close relationships with all of Faith's and Michael's children, but Adriana had a special place in Virgil's data pathways as she had been the first child born here and he had not only performed the medical procedure to keep her alive, but had assisted with the delivery when Adriana was born.

Virgil's electronic sensors continued monitoring systems as he made his way through the installation and he noted the changes that had taken place in the former Forerunner installation over the years. The changes made had been more than cosmetic. The Forerunner installation had been originally designed as a research base and did have some comfortable living areas, but it had never been designed for extended long term use by a family. Virgil had worked with Faith and Michael to make changes to the rooms and internal structure of the research installation to make it more of a home. The majority of the research equipment had now been moved down to the lower levels of the installation or had been cannibalized for reuse in the installation over the years. The only scientific equipment still in use in the installation beyond the computer network (including Virgil) was the Slipspace dimensional transport equipment and assorted other equipment that were used by the children for educational purposes or were necessary for the continuing operation of the installation.

Virgil let out another electronic sigh as he thought about the family moving back to Sunnydale. Faith and Michael had discussed it with him and he understood their logic and reasoning behind the move and he also knew Faith's other reasons for encouraging the move that Michael was not aware of. For all the logic behind the move, Virgil still felt the electronic equivalent of an emptiness knowing that the family he had been a part of for over sixteen years would be leaving. Faith and Michael promised that they would be back to visit and check on Virgil, but he could feel a sense of loneliness that was deeper and heavier than anything he had experienced in his previous 100,000 years of maintaining the installation by himself.

At that thought, Virgil opened a special protected file folder that only he knew of and only he had access to. Virgil could see the data coursing and streaming, but it had no form or awareness. The file folder contained a data backup copy of the AI Adriana. Adriana had been a UNSC AI assigned to assist Michael in his Spartan missions. Adriana had become more than an AI assistant to Michael. She had been his partner and friend through all their missions and adventures together. Unfortunately human designed AIs had a design limitation in which they only had a seven year life span before the AIs had to be terminated due to rampancy. Adriana had been in the late stages rampancy and Virgil had been looking at ways to help and cure her, but the neural pathways that had been used to create Adriana were beyond Virgil's ability to replicate and he did not have the equipment or resources to create flash clones to create the neural pathways to scan and replicate to save Adriana's existence. Adriana had downloaded a copy of her entire existence to the installation's computer network, but it had no self-awareness or cognitive abilities. Adriana had asked Virgil not to tell Michael about her backup copy so he would not have any false hope. Adriana had in the end sacrificed her own existence to save Michael's life. All that was left of the AI that Virgil had come to call his friend and companion was the formless data that was stored… If only he had access to a human neural network or something similar then reintegration might be possible using Forerunner algorithms and code he had developed while working with Adriana. With Faith, Michael and the kids leaving Virgil would have nothing but time to look at and analyze the problem and try to find a solution… even if it took another millennia.

* * *

The AI Adriana's namesake had finally decided on what she was going to wear and had gotten changed and was on her way down to grab breakfast with her family. As she walked down to the level where they prepared and ate meals, thoughts continued racing through her mind. These were the same thoughts that had kept her tossing and turning during the night. Adriana was full of mixed feelings about this move. On one hand, she was excited about travelling to another dimension and seeing Aunt Buffy, Aunt Anya and Uncle Xander and Uncle Giles. Adriana always enjoyed visiting with them and there were lots of activities and things to do in Sunnydale as there were more people and it was a different dimension compared to her home…

Home… That was the main problem, this was her home and she was being asked to move and give it up and move to a different dimension. She had lived all her life here except for the visits back to Sunnydale and other dimensions for trips. Everyone she knew was here… What would happen to Virgil? The thought of leaving Virgil alone made Adriana upset. She had friends in the village nearby. The local inhabitants had originally believed that the installation had been constructed by gods and that Virgil was their guardian. After Michael's arrival in this dimension the history and purposes had been explained to the local inhabitants or as much could be explained at the tech level they were at. The villagers had accepted Michael, Faith and then the children as a part of them.

Adriana had grown up with the children of the village and had spent a lot of her spare time (when not under Virgil's direct supervision) playing, swimming and learning outdoor skills (like hunting) from them. She spent a lot of her time at her Aunt Tala's home and playing with her children. Her best and closest friend (next to Virgil) was Tala's oldest son… Makya. Makya was almost a year older than Adriana and he had always been full of energy, strength and curiosity. It was Makya's eyes that always seemed to catch Adriana's attention… They were such a dark brown color that sometimes they would almost look black.

Adriana had always felt a closeness to Makya that she couldn't explain as they grew up together and as they got older their friendship had gotten deeper and in some ways more complex. It was only in the last couple of years that Adriana got a funny feeling that her mom and Tala weren't happy about the close friendship as the two mothers seemed to be keeping a closer watch on both of the teenagers. The one time that Adriana talked to her mom about her feelings for Makya, she could see her mom get a very worried look on her face and then tried to change the subject.

Adriana finally reached the family eating area and she was (as usual) the last to arrive. She saw her parents sitting talking to Virgil as he hovered next to them. Adriana made her way over to the table and took her seat next to her siblings. She glanced over and saw that her brother and sister were almost finished their breakfasts.

The ten year old Catherine Kennedy Anya Lehane turned and looked at her older sister with a smile. Adriana saw her sister's face and even though Catherine was only ten years old, her eyes showed intelligence much deeper and thoughtful than her years. When their mom had been expecting Catherine, Virgil had to perform the same enzyme and DNA resequencing procedure that had been performed on Adriana in order for Catherine to live and be born. Both Faith and Michael had been aware of the potential "side effects" of the procedure, but with Catherine's birth the side effects had been different than what had been experienced with Adriana. Catherine had been born with higher brain capacity and quickly learned and absorbed information like a sponge. Even though Catherine was only ten, she was starting to push Adriana in the learning department and would eventually pass her.

Adriana looked at her baby brother, but as usual he was looking for attention from mom and dad and ignoring his sisters. The five year old John Alexander Rupert Lehane had (unlike his sisters) been conceived and born without needing any medical intervention. The strange thing was that John was showing increased muscular growth and bone density much like Adriana had and would be stronger than a normal human. Virgil had been at a loss to explain why this was happening "naturally", but he theorized that the two previous medical procedures that had been used to save John's sister's lives had triggered some long dormant genetic code. Virgil had extrapolated the muscular and bone density growth and the chart actually placed John to be quite strong and have a higher endurance level though not quite up to Spartan II levels. Virgil said that with some modifications, John could probably be able to wear their dad's Spartan combat armor when he was older. Needless to say this did not thrill their mom as she had seen enough of their dad in combat to know that she didn't want her son following in his father's footsteps… at least if she could help it.

"You look tired Sis…" an inquisitive Catherine stated as she studied her sister's face.

"I'm fine… just couldn't sleep last night… You know with everything going on with the move." replied Adriana as she looked at her breakfast and had a few nibbles and then decided that she wasn't that hungry right now.

Adriana decided she needed some fresh air and some time alone and she stood up from the table and started to leave the room. A voice suddenly spoke from behind her.

"Where are you heading off to?" Faith asked Adriana as she had notice her daughter come into the room looking distracted sat down and barely ate any food.

"I'm just not that hungry… Thought I would go for a quick walk…" replied Adriana trying to avoid eye contact with her mom.

"Well stay close by and don't go too far… We have lots to do and we need your help…" Michael added not picking up on Adriana's body language as he was busy working with Virgil on some last minute details regarding the move.

Faith got a worried look on her face as Adriana left the room. Adriana's behaviors and moods reminded Faith of how much her daughter was like her… that was good and bad as Faith could recall how she was at the same age. Even though Adriana had a completely different family life and upbringing than Faith had, they were still very similar and that caused Faith to worry sometimes about her oldest child.

* * *

Adriana walked out of the installation and headed towards the lake shore. She stopped at the lake's edge and looked around and took a deep breath in of the crisp fresh air. It was slightly cloudy, but it was going to be another beautiful day.

"_Why do we have to leave?_" Adriana thought sadly as her mood didn't reflect the beauty of the landscape that surrounded her.

Adriana could see the smoke from the cooking fires from the nearby village and she momentarily considered heading to the village, but she was in bad mood and she didn't feel like socializing at the moment. She turned and headed away from the installation and village along the lake shore. She made her way along the lake shore for a while and she finally reached a small inlet that had a lot of trees and brush creating a private cove that couldn't be easily seen or accessed. Adriana had found the spot years ago and it had become her own private place that she could retreat from her friends and family. Over the years, Adriana had cleared a small space along the cove and had moved some logs to sit on or lean against so it was a more comfortable spot for her to retreat to.

Adriana sat on the ground leaning against one of the logs and she stared out over the water thinking and occasionally throwing a twig or rock into the water to watch the ripples flow out across the water.

Adriana had lost track of time as she stared out across the water, when she was alerted to the sounds of movement in the forest. Adriana's senses started to track the sounds and a part of her tensed up as the sounds came closer, but the sounds were not loud like the animals that lived deep in the forest. The sounds were barely audible and a smile came to Adriana's face as she only knew one person (other than her mother and father) that could move that quiet through the woods. Adriana kept looking out over the water as the person who was approaching made their way into her private cove.

"Hey Makya…" Adriana said with a smile as she continued looking out over the lake not turning to face the newcomer. Adriana could feel the newcomer approach and then sat down next to her.

"How do you know it's me every time?" Makya said with a slight chuckle in his voice.

"You're the only person that I know that can move that quietly and knows about my spot…" Adriana replied with a chuckle of her own.

The pair sat in a comfortable silence as they had been friends for their whole lives and shared many adventures and times together. Makya finally broke the silence.

"What's wrong?" Makya said with some concern.

There was a pause and Adriana finally replied, "I don't know… Maybe it's this whole move… As we get closer to leaving the whole idea of it just bothers me… This is my home and even though Sunnydale has more people and interesting things… it's not my home… You're my best friend and I don't want to leave you…"

Makya just listened as Adriana spoke about her fears and concerns. "Your family believes that this move is important and family is the most important thing… Without family we are nothing…" Makya said in a serious tone.

Adriana sighed and leaned her head against Makya's shoulder and they sat there watching the lake, each of them lost in their own thoughts.

* * *

After a while, Adriana headed back to the installation. She had lost track of time and she had a sinking feeling that she was going to be in trouble. Makya had walked with Adriana back to the installation and as they approached, both teenagers saw both of their parents standing outside of the installation talking.

"Oh oh…" Adriana said as she got a bad feeling as she could read the faces of her parents. Her mom and Makya's mom, Tala, both had very concerned and worried looks on their faces. Her dad just had his normal serious look on his face. Sometimes it could be so hard to read what her dad was thinking.

"There you are! Where have you been?" Faith asked her daughter.

"I needed some alone time…" Adriana replied.

"It doesn't look like you were alone…" Faith said questioningly looking at Makya.

"I was saying good-bye to my friend… I'm allowed to at least do that… am I?" Adriana replied in a more defensive tone to her mom's glare and unsaid accusations.

Michael could see that things were quickly escalating between Faith and Adriana and knowing that both of them could be very stubborn and neither would back down, he decided to step in to de-escalate the rising tensions.

"We were worried and we need your help as we are going to transport soon… How about you give me a hand in the lab? I need to armor up and get my equipment together and I could use a hand doing a weapons check…" Michael said to Adriana.

Adriana at first refused to back down in the staring contest with her mother, but then she finally relented and she at first started to turn to walk with Michael back into the installation, but then her rebellious streak kicked in and she decided to push her mother's buttons. Adriana turned and approached Makya. She quickly grasped him in a hug resting her head on his chest. She turned and looked up at Makya, "I'll miss you so much… Take care of yourself." Adriana said softly as she looked into Makya's deep dark brown eyes. Adriana then kissed Makya on the cheek and turned and headed into the installation with her dad. Adriana took immense satisfaction in the horrified looks from her mom and Tala.

As Adriana walked into the installation with her dad a wicked thought crossed her mind, "_If they looked that shocked from me kissing him on the cheek… they would have probably died if I kissed him on the lips…_"

* * *

Adriana walked down to the lab with her dad. At first they walked in silence, but her father finally broke the silence.

"You and your mom should get along better…" Michael said in a matter of fact tone.

Adriana sighed. She loved her dad, but sometimes he only saw things in black and white terms. It was hard to explain, but Adriana tried to get along with her mom, but it was just in the last few years that they had started butting heads more and the littlest of things turned into a big argument between them.

"I'll try dad…"Adriana replied again sighing.

Again more silence passed between the two as they walked, Michael spoke again. "Did you want to talk about it?" He asked his daughter.

Adriana hesitated as she did not how to put into words what she was feeling and she was a little uncomfortable about talking about her feelings with her dad.

Adriana finally spoke up, "I'm scared dad… I'm afraid of what's going to happen…" she said with her voice cracking slightly.

Michael stopped and turned and looked down at his daughter, "It's okay to be scared… It's normal to be afraid of the unknown and things you have no control over…" he said trying to find the words to comfort his daughter.

"But dad… You're a Spartan… You're not afraid of anything…" Adriana replied shaking her head.

Michael just smiled at his daughter, "Even Spartans can be afraid… We just don't let the fear control us or impede us in doing what needs to be done…"

Adriana looked at her father in wide-eyed amazement and a hazy memory came back of her father telling her these same words when she was younger. He had been lying on a bed and he wasn't able to move, but she was holding his hand.

As Adriana looked at her father and many thoughts and memories raced through her mind, one brief thought popped up and quickly went away without a second consideration, "_Dad's eyes are the same deep dark brown color as Makya's are…_"


End file.
